The annual Obon holiday exodus peaked yesterday with around 53,000 people flying out of Narita Airport for overseas vacations. Over 4.47 million people are expected to use Narita in the July 13-September 2 vacation period.Shinkansen trains on the main Tokaido Line between Osaka and Tokyo were running at 200% capacity and 150% on the JR Tohoku Line from Tokyo to Sendai and points north.
The Obon holiday (Buddhist All Souls) period sees many people visit their hometowns to pay respect to deceased family members.